The Process of FOIA and 9-1-1

Day in and day out we see news stories that reveal the inner workings of local government, small business owners, 9-1-1 calls, etc. The information given on news broadcasts can raise an eyebrow as to how it was obtained. So how do they get their information and are you, the general public, able to do the same? In most cases, the journalist working on the story has put in a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This is something that anyone can do. According to foia.gov,

“Enacted in 1966, and taking effect on July 5, 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions of them) are protected from public disclosure by one of nine exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.”

How does this work for 9-1-1?

Speaking with a Training Coordinator and 13 year 9-1-1 operator of a local dispatch center, she states that, “FOIA’s are the requests that dispatch can receive in writing from a person or attorney (in reference to) a case that was handled.” She goes on to say that 9-1-1 calls are involved in the process because the dispatch center answers the 9-1-1 or general calls that come into dispatch. Since 9-1-1 centers fall under local government they fit right into the Freedom of Information Act.

The FOIA process has been used many times to acquire calls and transcripts to make the public aware of incidents going on around them. For example, Charlie Butts of OneNewsNow.com reported on, “a pro-life activist group (that) confirmed a 17th medical emergency in less than a year at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic.” This incident occurred in Indianapolis and Butts spoke to Operation Rescue’s Cheryl Sullenger, who told him that her organization was able to obtain transcripts of the 9-1-1 call through the Freedom of Information Act.

Butts of OneNewsNow.com reported on Sullenger as saying that, “Apparently in this particular abortion, a woman was involved in a second-trimester abortion in her 14th week of pregnancy,” she details. “And for some reason, the abortionist could not finish the procedure. She had to stop in the middle and call for help.” OneNewsNow.com reported further on what was revealed through the transcripts and 9-1-1 recording by quoting Sullenger as saying, “It appears that the caller, the employee at Planned Parenthood who called 9-1-1, was extremely evasive, did not want to give information,” Sullenger reports. “The dispatcher had to ask four different times what was wrong with the woman and why she needed an ambulance. — this actually delays emergency care, and the emergency responders cannot be prepared for what they’re going to find there.”

Can anything be obtained from a FOIA request?

In the example above, the person who submitted the FOIA request was able to get everything she needed, but not everything can be revealed through a FOIA request. Some items can be redacted from the file. A quick definition from Merriam-Webster defines redact as, “to obscure or remove (text) from a document prior to publication or release.” The training coordinator says that, “items that can be redacted are the callers name, information, and Lein.” Lein in this statement refers to the callers name, address, and warrant check, license check, etc. “If a case is still open or pending investigation,“ says the training coordinator, “it is not FOIA’able until that case is closed by the agency.”

Being able to FOIA a record has done more than just release 9-1-1 calls. Below is an infographic on what being able to FOIA a record has done for us in the 46 years of its existence. For more information on 9-1-1 recordings, public records and the FOIA process for your state; you can go to the First Amendment Center. The site is a “compilation of state statutes and bills concerning public release of 911 emergency telephone recordings and transcripts.” If there is nothing listed for your state, you can also check out FOIA Advocates. This site can direct you to the public record laws of each state.

You Might also like

Episode 126 is different from the rest. It’s the introduction to Within the Trenches – Imagine Listening, an extension of the podcast featuring stories from the #IAM911 movement. What you are about to hear are true stories. While some have good outcomes, the majority are horrifying. A warning…if you suffer from PTSD or have suicidal tendencies this episode may be a trigger. LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK.

This episode also touches on PTSD in 9-1-1 dispatch and a look at the dark humor that comes with the job. A shout out goes to Dave, Tim and Amy of Darkness Radio for having me on their show. Below you will find links to my interview and a shout out to Mike of Sword & Scale for having me on episode #82 of his podcast. As always if you have any questions or want to be a guest on show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Earlier today I was watching “The Adventures of Ichabod Crane and Mr. Toad” when something struck me funny. In one part of the Ichabod Crane portion of the movie, there is a song that tells a few things about him.

Bing CrosbyWho’s the town’s ladies’ man?

ChorusGets around like nobody can?

Bing CrosbyHas to be none other than

Together
Ichabod, Ichabod Crane

Now as a kid, we don’t pay attention to everything that is being said in the song. I immediately began to laugh because of the adult humor that’s added in there. My sisters had previously mentioned this and I thought they were joking but sure enough the song in the movie tells about how Ichabod gets around. I sat back and thought about other cartoons and children’s movies in general that I grew up watching. Were there others out there that included adult humor that I didn’t get as a kid? Of course there was!

The first one that came to mind was Disney’s Pinocchio. The portion of the cartoon I want to reference is where the boys are hauled off to the island. All of these punk kids are taken to a place where they are given all kinds of food and at one point Pinocchio and his friend are smoking cigars and drinking beer. The horrifying part of all this is when they turn into donkey’s. As a kid you don’t understand why they are turning into donkey’s except for maybe the fact that they have misbehaved. Watching it as an adult you put two and two together and realize that turning into a donkey references the animals other name; Jackass. This is Disney’s way of humoring adults and passing the message that if you misbehave, smoke cigars, and drink beer you’re being a Jackass. The same goes for old Looney Tunes episodes because there would be times where characters would do something stupid and they would morph into a sucker and it would be labeled as such. There were also parts where a character would turn into a donkey and labeled, “Jackass”. It’s really funny if you think about it.

Cartoons seem to be laced with adult humor in order to keep parents content while sitting through entertainment targeted at their children. Another cartoon that comes to mind is Spongebob Squarepants. I can’t say that I have actually watched a full episode but a few years ago I was up late channel surfing. I stopped on Nickelodeon and there was an episode of Spongebob on. I left it on as background while I typed up a paper. I wasn’t paying too much attention to it but I looked up in time to catch some adult humor. I don’t remember what built up to the punchline but Spongebob says,

“Patrick! You’re genius is showing!”

Patrick, the dim-witted starfish friend, pulls on his shorts and looks down toward his crotch. I laughed at first and then realized why my wife didn’t want our son watching it. He was around four at the time and I know he would have never gotten the joke but I was surprised. And don’t get me wrong here. I’m all about adult humor and I have a great sense of humor, but the scene caught me off guard.

Another movie that cracks me up as an adult is Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. I loved this movie growing up and I still do but the humor is so much better as an adult. Gene Wilder, who plays Willy Wonka, is excellent in this film. The way he pulls off his sarcasm is priceless. As a kid the jokes fall flat because you don’t get them. When a kid does something they were told not to do and Wonka throws out sarcasm one can only appreciate it as an adult. Think about all the scenes in the movie or watch it again for that matter. You will pay much more attention to the dialog and the adult humor within. One scene that makes me laugh out loud is where everyone is trying to find the tickets and there is a scientist who is introducing a super computer to some suits in a lab. The computer has the ability to tell them where the golden tickets are but this computer doesn’t want to help cheat in any way.

The end of the clip is awesome because as an adult you know exactly what the scientist is telling the computer it can do with a life-time supply of chocolate. I mean, the look on his face tells it all. It’s stuff like this that cracks me up over and over. I missed so much as a kid when I was watching these movies and cartoons. There are two parts to every kid friendly movie/cartoon. There’s the fantasy that relates to children and then there’s the portions soaked in adult humor. I may have to re-watch everything from my childhood for the hidden grown up humor. There has to be a lot more out there that I have not seen yet. If you can think of any let me know. I’m always up for a good laugh. Cheers!